450 Tonne Beach In MCR For World Cup

ITV to create beach-style stadium at Old Granada Studios

BRAZIL may be worryingly underprepared for the upcoming 2014 World Cup (Thursday 12 June to Sunday 13 July), but Manchester's Old Granada Studios are well on top of it.

Granada's beach stadium will also be hosting beach football matches before the live games from Brazil, with England's beach team taking on teams from Italy, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Germany (boo).

The former car park of Granada's old headquarters on Quay Street is set to be transformed into an ITV World Cup fan park with 450 tonnes worth of imported sand, a beach stadium and a whopping 40 square metre screen.

It's the latest in a string of 'multi-platform' arts, retail and cultural events set out for the 13.5 acre former Corrie site since ITV shifted to MediaCityUK on Salford Quays.

Purchased as a joint venture between Allied London (Spinningfields) and Manchester City Council last year for £26.5m, the partnership have been searching for operators and partners to create 'Manchester's next arts and culture destination' at Old Granada Studios with pop-up markets, fashion fairs, music and food festivals, workspaces, studios, gigs, art and theatre shows.

Old Granada Studios

The ITV Fever Pitch site will be screening games kicking off at 3pm, 5pm and 9pm, though it will not be screening the group games kicking off at 11pm - including England's opening crunch-game against Italy on Saturday 14 June, 11pm. You'll have to pub or sofa that one.

You can apply for up to six tickets for FREE here (some matches have already sold out, including England vs Uruguay on Thursday 19 June and the World Cup Final on Sunday 13 July).

However, a small number of tickets have been held back for walk-up visitors each day and a second round of tickets will be released shortly.

Granada's beach stadium will be hosting international beach football matches before screening live games from Brazil, with England's beach football team taking on teams from Italy, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Germany (boo).

There'll also be a 'Little Copacabana' beach area on site for the kids, a 'High Tempo' zone for fans to get tricky and Brazilian food and drink across the site.